Bill's Bits

"If you have made
mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you.
What we call
failure is not the falling down but the staying down."

Mary Pickford
1893-1979

Welcome. 'Bill's Bits' is an
outgrowth of two events; one, a new years resolution of mine to become
more 'techno' savvy, the other John made me laugh at a photo-documentary
of his that showed his progress of building our outdoor BBQ, and then in
a random selection fueled by the need to mention my name he slapped a
photo of a porch light I had installed into his update page. The
juxtaposition of the two events was hilarious (I definitely was the
unintentional butt of the joke) and John decided that if I wanted better
representation I could do it myself. So the knowledge transfer began. To
date progress has been slow, not because of John's efforts to teach, but
mine to act. Another life lesson - "once you acquire the tools it is up
to you to build".

To those of your familiar with
John and my saga you will recall our mid-life crisis business venture in
Ohio. To any new readers, the seeds of our business endeavor did not
mature and ripen as we had hoped. Heck, they hardly sprouted. That is
not to say we didn't spend much time and effort preparing, tilling,
investing and purchasing. Still our business plant died. Enough of the
plant analogies. We lost our investment and then some. But hey, everyone
goes through loss. We are not alone nor are we unique in this aspect. I
take solace in the strengths others demonstrate when they endure great
challenges. As the quote above says "its not the falling down (which we
did) but its staying down (which I hope to prove we have not done).

Short cut to bring you up to
date....John was reinstated with the company he was with prior to the
move to Ohio . I, after returning to California, accepted a financial
position with the Judicial Branch of the State of California. Nightly I
say a prayer of thanks for these blessings. With employment secured and
with the help of my wonderful sister, Beth, who acted as our real estate
loan agent (anyone who needs a top notch, go get 'em loan agent, I'll
give you her number) we were able to cobble together a home purchase.
The home acquisition took the last bit of remaining cash we had left. In
fact, had it not been for my generous parents who loaned me money we
might not have been able to act when we did and get the house we have. I
love and appreciate the house so much. Another blessing added to
nightly prayer.

So what if we are strapped on
cash and have to do repairs and improvements piece meal. Lots of people
are, and John and I enjoy doing projects and we are huge fans of 'value
engineering'. Many people call us cheap, I prefer to think if it as
thrifty. And thrifty is a good quality in my book. So as we go
through this 'blog' if that's what this is, if anyone has cost saving
ideas or wants to share suggestions please put them on the comment
board.

9/21/08 I found
this plant on the 'as is' table of Lowe's for $6.00. After eight
weeks of TLC the plant now looks
like this.

7/29/08 Bill's updates at long last. I know all have been
waiting with baited breath. So much to catch up on. Working
backwards this last weekend was fun filled and action packed.
Saturday I with a couple of friends,
Tim
and Donnie volunteered at a Rodeo. Just in case your wondering,
I too was in western
wear. Brokeback Mountain it ain't.